This Holiday Season Some Dream of a White Christmas - The Accelerated Cure Project Dreams of Developing a Cure for Multiple...( WALTHAM Mass. Dec. 18 -- Art Mel...),Health

WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Art Mellor is one of more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2 million worldwide suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It's, a debilitating disease that causes paralysis, blindness, incontinence and cognitive dysfunction among other symptoms. So it's no wonder that Mellor, the founder of the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, is less interested in snow and more interested in raising the funds he needs to scratch "Develop a cure for MS" off his holiday to-do list.

Researchers who study Multiple Sclerosis have many theories about what causes it. Some believe it's the environment, some think it's genetic, others think it's viral. Mellor, who was diagnosed with MS seven years ago, believes it's a combination of factors, and most researchers agree that MS is indeed multifactorial. That's why his organization, the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, a national nonprofit organization based in Waltham, Massachusetts, is offering researchers around the country a unique opportunity to unlock the combination.

The Accelerated Cure Project for MS is in the midst of a campaign to raise several million dollars to build and maintain the largest bio sample and data bank for Multiple Sclerosis (and other demyelinating diseases) research. Blood samples from the biobank will be provided to MS researchers at almost no cost - as long as they share their results with the Accelerated Cure Project. In return, Mellor's team will provide a continually updated data bank called the "Cure Map" that will correlate results from different research perspectives and highlight interactions between factors that can lead to the development of MS.

A Faster Route to the Cure

When Mellor was diagnosed with MS, he did what many people in his situation do; try to learn as much as possible about this mysterious disease. What he learned however wasn't encouraging. In studying the available litera
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